It was the night Broncomaniacs had dreamed about since the day John Elway retired. To welcome Peyton Manning, Denver got gussied up in orange, scrambled the F-16s to fly over the stadium and brought out local Olympic hero Missy Franklin to say hello at the 50-yard line.

Manning returned the love by bringing a joyful noise. He threw the 400th and 401st touchdown passes of his storied pro career, bringing the home crowd of 76,642 to its feet Sunday during a 31-19 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While digesting the trademark laser-pointer accuracy, or how Manning messed with the heads of Pittsburgh defenders, or his gaudy 129.2 passer rating in this game, also chew on this:

The Indianapolis Colts cut Peyton Manning.

"And I'm glad they did," Elway told me in the Denver locker room, where he shared a handshake and laughter with the new legendary quarterback on the Broncos' roster.

Go crazy, folks.

Denver is again a city that must be taken seriously throughout the NFL.

After surgeries on his neck and a forced absence for a year that caused him to part ways with Indy, Manning is here to prove there indeed can be a glorious second act in an American life.

"He's back. And he's ready," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said.

The Colts' loss is Denver's gain.

"It's just the way this league is. Whether they give up on you too early or too late, at some point they've got to do it," Bailey said. "You've got to be prepared for it. I know (Manning) was. All you can do is keep playing."

When did Bailey know that Manning still had what it takes to be a dominating quarterback at age 36?

"I never thought he lost it," Bailey said.

It had been a long and often- unlucky 13 years since Elway tearfully said goodbye in the spring of 1999, saying, "I don't look at it as retirement. I'm just graduating from pro football."

From Brian Griese to Jake Plummer to Tim Tebow, quarterbacks arrived, quarterbacks went, but the first quarterback to be bigger than Elway's legendary shadow is Manning.

"It felt good to get a win," Manning said. "I'm still feeling my way out. I still have some limitations. I think this team is still forming its identity."

Now, if Denver coach John Fox will get out of the way and let Manning be Manning, the Broncos might have the right stuff to make a championship run.

Despite paying Manning an $18 million salary so Denver could return to the Super Bowl conversation, Fox started with a game plan so conservative it could have been designed for Tebow.

During the opening quarter, the Broncos took six snaps on first down and ran on five on them. For one glorious drive in the second period, Denver did let Manning be Manning, and he ran a hurry-up offense to perfection, never allowing the Steelers to make a defensive substitution, while leading an 80-yard touchdown drive.

Trailing 10-7 with 28 seconds remaining before halftime, rather than turn loose one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, Fox had him take a knee and trot to the locker room.

The television networks, however, know a prime-time star when they see one. Manning is a bankable star. While completing 19 of 26 throws for 253 yards, including a 71-yard scoring pass to Demaryius Thomas in the third quarter when the Steelers were caught off-guard before the snap, Manning was spectacular in a second-half showdown against Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

"There have been so many questions. We've been talking about it for six months," Elway said. "I think we saw that Peyton Manning still has a lot of football left in him."

Sports Authority Field at Mile High is the house Elway built. In his debut there, Manning made himself at home.

Oh, there have been plays and celebrations to cherish during the past 13 years. We love to rewind Bailey's 100-yard interception return against New England's Tom Brady. The stunning upset of Pittsburgh in what proved to be Tebow's final appearance in a Denver uniform will never be forgotten.

But this was the most important moment in Broncos history since the day Elway retired.

Lockheed says object part of 'sensor technology' testing that ended ThursdayWhat the heck is that thing? It's fair to assume that question was on the minds of many people who traveled along Colo. 128 south of Boulder this week if they happened to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a large, silver projectile perched alongside the highway and pointed north toward town.

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